A British woman who passed away after choosing not to undergo chemotherapy was found to be ‘adversely influenced’ by her mother, a former nurse, according to the coroner. The mother had been struck off the nursing register due to her anti-vaccination views.
In July 2024, Paloma Shemirani, aged 23, died seven months following her diagnosis with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
NHL, as described by the Lymphoma Research Foundation, is a cancer affecting the lymphatic system, typically identified in the lymph nodes.
It ranks as the seventh most prevalent cancer among adults in the United States and the sixth in the United Kingdom, according to Cancer Research UK.
Chemotherapy is a common treatment for blood cancers like NHL, utilizing anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to eliminate cancer cells, administered either as pills or through veins.
Initially, Shemirani agreed to chemotherapy but later opted for alternative treatments involving juices and coffee enemas recommended by her mother, Kate Shemirani, with whom she began living in December 2023.
Her mother administered five coffee enemas daily, and Coroner Catherine Wood reported to the Kent and Medway Coroners Court on Thursday (October 2): “The influence that was brought to bear on Paloma … did contribute more than minimally to her death.”
She further noted that the mother played a ‘leading role’ in her daughter’s decision to reject chemotherapy.
Five days prior to her death, Shemirani collapsed at her home in East Sussex, England.
She was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where an osteopath, who testified in court, mentioned they had ‘never seen’ a lymphoid mass like hers in 43 years of practice.
According to The New York Times, the young woman died from a heart attack, likely caused by an untreated tumor.
Wood indicated that if Shemirani had been ‘supported and encouraged to accept her diagnosis and considered chemotherapy with an open mind’, she probably would have ‘followed that course’ rather than resorting to alternative treatments.
She suggested that if Shemirani had diverged from the views of her family and friends, she might have had an 80 percent chance of a complete recovery following chemotherapy.
“I found Mrs Shemirani’s care of her daughter incomprehensible but not unlawful killing,” Wood remarked during the hearing.
Reacting to the coroner’s decision not to charge their mother with the unlawful killing of their sister, Shemirani’s brothers, Gabriel and Sebastian Shemirani, expressed that the state had ‘failed’ them.
Gabriel told the inquest, “I blame my mother entirely for my sister’s death”.
“In short, I believe that she sacrificed Paloma’s life for her own principles,” he continued, asserting that his mother should be accountable for the death. He also accused her of ‘obstructing’ his sister’s treatment, as reported by BBC News.
Kate, who was removed from the British Nurses Registry in 2021, is a breast cancer survivor who attributed her recovery to Gerson therapy.
This therapy is not approved by the FDA due to insufficient scientific evidence and the potential for severe side effects.
Gabriel revealed that his twin sister had been estranged from their mother before moving in with her. He initiated a High Court case to evaluate his sister’s medical decision-making ability while residing with their mother.
In written statements submitted by the deceased to the family division of the High Court in 2024, she mentioned rejecting chemotherapy partly due to her ‘background in natural healing’, according to Post.
She described her mother as an ‘extremely forceful advocate for natural health’ and said she was ‘delighted’ with the alternative treatments.
The inquest concluded that staff at Maidstone Hospital, where Shemirani was initially diagnosed, Royal Sussex County Hospital, and the attending paramedics acted appropriately.